Spring 2017 CHURCH PLANTING AND MISSIONS COURSE MEETING PLACE: This course meets at Grace Baptist Church, 1300 Ceitus Terrace, Cape Coral, Florida, 33991. COURSE INSTRUCTORS: Dr. Shawn Bergen, Lead Pastor (Providence Church, Lehigh Acres, FL) Email: shawn@providenceswfl.com COURSE DESCRIPTION An overview of North American church planting in its theoretical and practical dimensions. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course provides an overview of church planting in North America. Students will examine the task of church planting from vision to launch and be challenged to: 1) Develop a theology of church planting 2) Examine the essential qualities and characteristics of an effective church planter 3) Learn principles and strategies needed for starting churches 4) Interact with some of the resources available to church planters COMPETENCIES Spiritual Formation: demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue an authentically Christian way of life, manifested by trust in God, obedience to Christ s commands, and love of God and neighbor. Biblical Exposition: demonstrate the ability to properly and effectively interpret, apply, and communicate the Scriptures. Theological Integration: demonstrate the ability to understand and apply the doctrines of Christianity to life and ministry. 1
Ministry Preparation: demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and Christian disposition necessary for ministry and leadership in the church and the world. Critical Thinking and Communication: demonstrate the ability to think critically, argue persuasively, and communicate clearly. REQUIREMENTS 1. READING These texts are required reading to be completed by assigned dates during course. At Home in a Strange Land, William E. Brown, Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper, Planting Missional Churches, Ed Stetzer, The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting, Aubrey Malphurs, Recommended reading for this course: Church Planting is For: Wimps, Mike McKinley Dangerous Calling, Paul Tripp The Gospel & Personal Evangelism, Mark Dever Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom, Rob Rienow At Home in a Strange Land, William Brown, ed. Total Church, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis Planting Growing Churches, Aubrey Malphurs Confessions of a Reformission Rev, Mark Driscoll Global Church Planting, Craig Ott and Gene Wilson The Church Planting Wife, Christine Hoover 2. WRITING (20% of course grade) The two writing assignments for this course are listed below and must be double-spaced, 12pt New Times Roman font, with a title page: TWO REFLECTION PAPERS (10% each: total of 20%) Students are required to write two reflections papers, at least 5 pages in length, during the course of the semester. 1. One paper must be written from the following topics: The Make-up of a Church Planter, Choosing a Church Planting Model, The Church Planter and His Family, The Greatest Challenge to Church Planting, Church Planting and Theology. 2
2. Each student will be required to interview a church planter in the first 5 years of planting. A second paper must be written with summary and personal reflection. 3. CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION (20% of course grade) Students are expected to come to each class having read the assigned readings and prepared to take part in discussion. Textbooks and Bible should be brought to class. The course will include at least 24 hours of classroom instruction. 4. QUIZZES (30% of course grade) Come to each class prepared to be quizzed over the previous class lectures and assignments. The highest 5 scores will be averaged. 5. CLASS PROJECT (30% of course grade) Each student will engage in at least 5 gospel conversations and write a detailed 10-page paper on the relationship between evangelism and church planting and those encounters. The student is expected to spend a minimum of 2 hours per week completing work outside of class for every 1 credit hour of this class. The requirements (i.e., reading, writing, evangelism, etc.) of this class are planned according to this expectation. GRADING: A = 95-100 B = 87-94 C = 77-86 D = 70-76 F = 0-69 (1) The student is expected to spend no less than 2 hours of out-of-class work per credit hour in this class. (2) This syllabus is meant to accurately reflect all expectations and assignments for this course. However, the professor reserves the right to adjust the syllabus at his discretion. (3) Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will result in an immediate failing grade on the assignment with no chance for resubmission. The professor does have the option either to allow the student to remain in and complete the course or to dismiss the student from the course completely. 3
Topics & Course Schedule Wk Date Lecture Topic Reading Assignment Assignment Due 1 Jan 30 Introduction The Basis & Basics of Missions and Church Planting 3 Feb 13 Who Plants Churches? The Make-up of a Planter 5 Feb 27 Leaders & Leadership in Church Planting Contexts 7 Mar 13 Encaging the Culture Church Planting Models 9 Mar 27 Strategy & Evangelism in Church Planting 11 Apr 10 Ministry, Money, and Meeting Places in Church Planting 13 Apr 24 Values, Mission, & the Functions of a Church Stetzer, Ch 1-4 Malphurs, Ch 1, 4, 7 Brown, Intro-2 Piper 1-2 Stetzer, Ch 5-6 Patrick, Ch 1-7 Malphurs, Ch 2 Piper 3-5 Stetzer, Ch 7-8 Malphurs, Ch 11-12 Brown, Ch 3-6 Stetzer, Ch 9-12 Patrick, 15-17 Malphurs, Ch 9 Brown, Ch 7-9 Stetzer, Ch 13-15 Patrick, 13-14 Malphurs, Ch 8, 10 Brown, 10-11 Stetzer, Ch 16-21 Malphurs, Ch 3, 13-14 Stetzer, Ch 22-27 Malphurs, 5-6 Quiz 1 1 st Reflection Paper Quiz 2 Quiz 3 2nd Reflection Paper Quiz 4 Quiz 5 Quiz 6 15 May 8 Multiplication & Movements Stetzer, Ch 28-29 Class Project Paper 4
Bibliography Allen, Roland. Missionary Methods: St. Paul s or Ours? Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2006. Archer, Gleason Leonard. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. 3d ed. Chicago: Moody, 1998, c1994. Ascol, Thomas K., ed. Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2004. Barna, George. Grow Your Church from the Outside In. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2002. Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor. Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1982. Chester, Tim, and Steve Timmis. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. Childers, Steve. Church Planting Foundations: Student Workbook. Winter Park, FL: Steven L. Childers & Global Church Advancement, 2008. Cole, Neil. Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens. Jossey-Bass, 2005. Coleman, Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism. Old Tappan, NJ: Spire, 1978. Dever, Mark. The Gospel & Personal Evangelism. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007.. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. 4th ed. Washington, DC: Center for Church Reform, 2001.. What Is A Healthy Church?. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Driscoll, Mark. Confession of a Reformission Rev. The Leadership Network, 2008.. The Radical Reformission. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004. Gilbert, Greg. What Is the Gospel? Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. Green, Michael. Evangelism in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004. Hammett, John S. Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2005. Hirsch, Alan. The Forgotten Ways. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2006. Köstenberger, Andreas J., and Peter T. O'Brien. Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001. 5
Liederbach, Mark, and Alvin Reid. The Convergent Church: Missional Worshipers in an Emerging Culture. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009. Malphurs, Aubrey. Planting Growing Churches. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992, 2001. Marshall, Colin, and Tony Payne. The Trellis and the Vine. Kingston: Matthias Media, 2009. Murray, Stuart. Church Planting: Laying Foundations. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001. Norman, R. Stanton, ed. The Mission of Today s Church. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2007. North American Mission Board, SBC. Seven Steps for Planting Churches. Planter Edition. Edited by Tom Cheyney, J. David Putnam and Van Sanders. Alpharetta: North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 2003. Packer, J. I. Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God. Downer s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1961. Payne, J. D. Discovering Church Planting: An Introduction to the Whats, Whys, and Hows of Global Church Planting. Colorado Springs, CO: Paternoster, 2009. Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993, 2003.. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002. Rainer, Thom S., and Eric Geiger. Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples. Nashville, TN: B&H, 2006. Reisinger, Ernest C. Today's Evangelism. Phillipsburg, NJ: Craig, 1982. Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.. The Soul Winner. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963. Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. Broadman and Holman, 2006.. Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003. Stetzer, Ed, and David Putman. Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Be a Missionary in Your Community. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006. 6